Using technology to find and represent educational problems. One major challenge for teachers interested in problem-based learning is locating problems that are appropriate for their students and for the topics that they need to learn. Problems must be complex enough to allow exploration and encourage team work, and they should develop students' ability to break problems down and organize their solutions. Representing and communicating such complex problem situations is an important function of technology. Unlike problems that occur in the real world, technology can incorporate graphics, video, animation, and other tools to create problems that can be explored repeatedly. Multimedia representations are easier to understand than problems presented as text.
Whatever type of technology is used, an important goal is to create problem representations that are interactive and under the learner's control. The student creates a plan for investigating the problem, and the technology creates an environment that makes flexible exploration possible.
Example webquest http://6100webquest.webs.com/ Using technology to find educational resources. A second function of technology in problem-based learning environments is locating information needed to solve problems or do other kinds of research. In the past, teachers attempting a problem-based curriculum felt the need to limit problems to those for which they had expertise or the local library had resources. Now the World Wide Web brings an endless amount of information on almost any subject, and it is possible for students to choose topics based on personal interest rather than availability of resources.
Use of the Internet to gather information for solving problems sometimes resembles a modern version of library research, in which students gather and synthesize information from published reports. Despite the fact that the task seems traditional, the characteristics of this new medium require special skills for students. The enormous volume of information allows students to study almost any topic, but also makes it more difficult to locate precisely the right information from among the thousands, or even millions, of sites that might be located.
Using technology to summarize and present findings. Once students have summarized their data and other information, they typically communicate their findings to others. In the past, this meant writing a report to be read by the teacher. Writing reports is still the most widespread use of ICT, with 61 percent of U.S. teachers assigning students word processing tasks. In addition to text, students also use computer-created graphics, video, and animations to communicate their ideas.
The teacher is not the only audience for students' presentations. Students are frequently expected to present their work and receive feedback from their peers and the world outside their classroom. Whether they are using presentation software to accompany a face-to-face presentation or developing materials to put on the Web, the trend is for students to be able to communicate and defend their work to a broad audience. This increases students' perception that problem-based learning is real work for real audiences.
Example from Year 2 Ed Tech class: http://edt2203icm.wikispaces.com/task Using technology for collaboration and distance education. There are many opportunities for individual students to use technology to enhance their learning. These include online courses that provide students in remote locations with opportunities for customized curriculum and advanced placement courses. These courses are conducted entirely online and offer asynchronous interaction among faculty and students. Because they allow students to participate anytime and from anywhere, online courses are becoming increasingly popular among postsecondary students whose job and personal commitments do not allow them to meet a regular class schedule. Opportunities for interaction with peers from other countries can also contribute to knowledge and understanding of other cultures. ICT makes this type of communication possible for anyone with Internet access.
BIBLIOGRAPHY BECKER, HENRY JAY. 1999. Internet Use by Teachers: Conditions of Professional Use and Teacher-Directed Use. Teaching, Learning and Computing: 1998 National Survey of Schools and Teachers, Report 1. Irvine: Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations, University of California, Irvine. BIRCHARD, KAREN. 2001. "Distance Education: European Commission Adopts $13.3-Billion Plan That Is Expected to Promote Online Education." Chronicle of Higher Education April 16. BRANSFORD, JOHN D.; BROWN, ANN L.; and COCKING, RODNEY R. 1999. How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. COGNITION AND TECHNOLOGY GROUP AT VANDERBILT. 1997. The Jasper Project: Lessons in Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, and Professional Development. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. DWYER, DAVID. 1994. "Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow: What We've Learned." Educational Leadership 51 (7):4â10. MEANS, BARBARA. 2000. Accountability in Preparing Teachers to Use Technology. Paper prepared for the Educational Technology Leadership Conference, Washington, DC, January 13-14. PELLEGRINO, JAMES W.; CHUDOWSKY, NAOMI; and GLASER, ROBERT, eds. 2001. Knowing What Students Know: The Science and Design of Educational Assessment. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. REIL, MARGARET. 2000. New Designs for Connected Teaching and Learning. White paper commissioned for The Secretary's Conference on Educational Technology Evaluating the Effectiveness of Technology, Washington, DC, September 11â12. REIL, MARGARET., and BECKER, HENRY JAY. 2000. The Beliefs, Practices, and Computer Use of Teacher Leaders. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association. New Orleans, LA, April. SHEINGOLD, KAREN, and HADLEY, MARTHA. 1990. Accomplished Teachers: Integrating Computers into Classroom Practice. New York: Center for Technology in Education, Bank Street College. TINKER, ROBERT. 2000. Ice Machines, Steamboats, and Education: Structural Change and Educational Technologies. White paper commissioned for The Secretary's Conference on Educational Technology Evaluating the Effectiveness of Technology, Washington, DC. THORNBURG, DAVID D. 1999. Technology in Kâ12 Education: Envisioning a New Future. White paper commissioned for the Forum on Technology in Education: Envisioning the Future, Washington, DC. WHITE, BARBARA Y., and FREDERIKSEN, JOHN R. 2000. "Metacognitive Facilitation: An Approach to Making Scientific Inquiry Accessible to All." In Teaching in the Inquiry-Based Science Classroom, ed. Jim Minstrell and Emily H. van Zee. Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science. INTERNET RESOURCES CHEN, MILTON. 2002. "Bugscope: Magnifying the Connection Between Students, Science, and Scientists." <http://glef.org/bugscope.html >. ELECTRONIC EMISSARY PROJECT. 2001. <http://emissary.ots.utexas.edu/emissary/ >. KIDLINK. 2002. <www.kidlink.org >. NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS. 2000. "Internet Access in U.S. Public Elementary and Secondary Schools." <http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2000102 >. PASSPORT TO KNOWLEDGE. 2001. <http://passporttoknowledge.com/hst/ >. UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. 2001. "Human Development Report 2001: Making New Technologies Work for Human Development." <www.undp.org/hdr2001/ >. UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, TACOMA 2001. "Conductivity and Temperature Study." <www.Tacoma.Washington.edu/education/intel/Projects/Morrison_photo.htm >. SUSAN M. WILLIAMS
Encyclopedia of Education. (2002). Technology in education: current trends. Retrieved March 18, 2012, from Gale Opposing viewpoints in context: http://0-ic.galegroup.com.library.hct.ac.ae/ic/ovic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&disableHighlighting=true&prodId=&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CCX3403200620&mode=view
Using technology to find and represent educational problems. One major challenge for teachers interested in problem-based learning is locating problems that are appropriate for their students and for the topics that they need to learn. Problems must be complex enough to allow exploration and encourage team work, and they should develop students' ability to break problems down and organize their solutions. Representing and communicating such complex problem situations is an important function of technology. Unlike problems that occur in the real world, technology can incorporate graphics, video, animation, and other tools to create problems that can be explored repeatedly. Multimedia representations are easier to understand than problems presented as text.
Whatever type of technology is used, an important goal is to create problem representations that are interactive and under the learner's control. The student creates a plan for investigating the problem, and the technology creates an environment that makes flexible exploration possible.
Example webquest
http://6100webquest.webs.com/
Using technology to find educational resources. A second function of technology in problem-based learning environments is locating information needed to solve problems or do other kinds of research. In the past, teachers attempting a problem-based curriculum felt the need to limit problems to those for which they had expertise or the local library had resources. Now the World Wide Web brings an endless amount of information on almost any subject, and it is possible for students to choose topics based on personal interest rather than availability of resources.
Use of the Internet to gather information for solving problems sometimes resembles a modern version of library research, in which students gather and synthesize information from published reports. Despite the fact that the task seems traditional, the characteristics of this new medium require special skills for students. The enormous volume of information allows students to study almost any topic, but also makes it more difficult to locate precisely the right information from among the thousands, or even millions, of sites that might be located.
Example webquest:
http://warrensburg.k12.mo.us/webquest/continents/index.htm
Using technology to summarize and present findings. Once students have summarized their data and other information, they typically communicate their findings to others. In the past, this meant writing a report to be read by the teacher. Writing reports is still the most widespread use of ICT, with 61 percent of U.S. teachers assigning students word processing tasks. In addition to text, students also use computer-created graphics, video, and animations to communicate their ideas.
The teacher is not the only audience for students' presentations. Students are frequently expected to present their work and receive feedback from their peers and the world outside their classroom. Whether they are using presentation software to accompany a face-to-face presentation or developing materials to put on the Web, the trend is for students to be able to communicate and defend their work to a broad audience. This increases students' perception that problem-based learning is real work for real audiences.
Example from Year 2 Ed Tech class:
http://edt2203icm.wikispaces.com/task
Using technology for collaboration and distance education. There are many opportunities for individual students to use technology to enhance their learning. These include online courses that provide students in remote locations with opportunities for customized curriculum and advanced placement courses. These courses are conducted entirely online and offer asynchronous interaction among faculty and students. Because they allow students to participate anytime and from anywhere, online courses are becoming increasingly popular among postsecondary students whose job and personal commitments do not allow them to meet a regular class schedule. Opportunities for interaction with peers from other countries can also contribute to knowledge and understanding of other cultures. ICT makes this type of communication possible for anyone with Internet access.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BECKER, HENRY JAY. 1999. Internet Use by Teachers: Conditions of Professional Use and Teacher-Directed Use. Teaching, Learning and Computing: 1998 National Survey of Schools and Teachers, Report 1. Irvine: Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations, University of California, Irvine.
BIRCHARD, KAREN. 2001. "Distance Education: European Commission Adopts $13.3-Billion Plan That Is Expected to Promote Online Education." Chronicle of Higher Education April 16.
BRANSFORD, JOHN D.; BROWN, ANN L.; and COCKING, RODNEY R. 1999. How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
COGNITION AND TECHNOLOGY GROUP AT VANDERBILT. 1997. The Jasper Project: Lessons in Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, and Professional Development. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
DWYER, DAVID. 1994. "Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow: What We've Learned." Educational Leadership 51 (7):4â10.
MEANS, BARBARA. 2000. Accountability in Preparing Teachers to Use Technology. Paper prepared for the Educational Technology Leadership Conference, Washington, DC, January 13-14.
PELLEGRINO, JAMES W.; CHUDOWSKY, NAOMI; and GLASER, ROBERT, eds. 2001. Knowing What Students Know: The Science and Design of Educational Assessment. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
REIL, MARGARET. 2000. New Designs for Connected Teaching and Learning. White paper commissioned for The Secretary's Conference on Educational Technology Evaluating the Effectiveness of Technology, Washington, DC, September 11â12.
REIL, MARGARET., and BECKER, HENRY JAY. 2000. The Beliefs, Practices, and Computer Use of Teacher Leaders. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association. New Orleans, LA, April.
SHEINGOLD, KAREN, and HADLEY, MARTHA. 1990. Accomplished Teachers: Integrating Computers into Classroom Practice. New York: Center for Technology in Education, Bank Street College.
TINKER, ROBERT. 2000. Ice Machines, Steamboats, and Education: Structural Change and Educational Technologies. White paper commissioned for The Secretary's Conference on Educational Technology Evaluating the Effectiveness of Technology, Washington, DC.
THORNBURG, DAVID D. 1999. Technology in Kâ12 Education: Envisioning a New Future. White paper commissioned for the Forum on Technology in Education: Envisioning the Future, Washington, DC.
WHITE, BARBARA Y., and FREDERIKSEN, JOHN R. 2000. "Metacognitive Facilitation: An Approach to Making Scientific Inquiry Accessible to All." In Teaching in the Inquiry-Based Science Classroom, ed. Jim Minstrell and Emily H. van Zee. Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science.
INTERNET RESOURCES
CHEN, MILTON. 2002. "Bugscope: Magnifying the Connection Between Students, Science, and Scientists." <http://glef.org/bugscope.html >.
ELECTRONIC EMISSARY PROJECT. 2001. <http://emissary.ots.utexas.edu/emissary/ >.
KIDLINK. 2002. <www.kidlink.org >.
NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS. 2000. "Internet Access in U.S. Public Elementary and Secondary Schools." <http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2000102 >.
PASSPORT TO KNOWLEDGE. 2001. <http://passporttoknowledge.com/hst/ >.
UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. 2001. "Human Development Report 2001: Making New Technologies Work for Human Development." <www.undp.org/hdr2001/ >.
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, TACOMA 2001. "Conductivity and Temperature Study." <www.Tacoma.Washington.edu/education/intel/Projects/Morrison_photo.htm >.
SUSAN M. WILLIAMS